Truly, madly, deeply
by Misura
Summary: Good intentions may not always result in the desired effects. [SetoJoey]
1. First

Truly, madly, deeply

*

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, Mokuba, songfic, focus/scene change after songfragment, hints at Yami/Yugi and Bakura/Ryou.

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. The song 'Truly, madly, deeply' belongs to Savage Garden.

written at 29th october 2003, by Misura

For hieiandkuramalover, this song, this pairing ... my plot. Hope you'll like it! :)

Chapter note : _italics_ indicate typing in this chapter, unless they're _//italics//_ in which case they're songlyrics.

**********

_//I'll be your dream, _

_I'll be your wish _

_I'll be your fantasy.//_

"Today, class, I want you all to type up a list of things you want to accomplish in the next year." The teacher beamed at her class like she had just come up with the most brilliant of assignments. Ryou raised his hand. "Any questions? Yes?"

"Do we ah have to turn that list in at the end?" Ryou blushed, while from the other end of class Bakura snickered loudly. The teacher blinked, then shook her head.

"No, it's just a small excercise to help you get the hang of typing, that's all." Joey sourly thought she probably was simply too lazy to hand out grades for this assignment. Though he had to admit he hadn't exactly liked the prospect of someone else reading his list, it might have netted him a nice B for once, instead of the more usual C or D.

"You will save it in your personal folder, like all other tasks you've completed on the computer thus far. That way you'll have an overview of your progress by the end of this term. As you all know, the password to open that folder is only known to yourself, so don't be afraid that anyone else will read your secret wish to become a school-teacher." She laughed and half of the class obediently laughed with her, while the other half seemed not to get the joke.

"What's so ridiculous about wanting to be a teacher?" Anzu whisperingly asked to Yugi, who shrugged.

_//I'll be your hope, _

_I'll be your love _

_Be everything that you need.//_

Joey stared at his computer-screen, trying to come up with something to put on his list. What did he want to do with his life? Well, he wanted to become a better duelist, of course.

_I will work on improving my skills at dueling._

_I will put new cards in my deck that do well against Blue Eyes._

He gnawed at his lower lip, considering that second line. It was true that Kaiba, Yugi and Yami were the only persons against whom he had never won. Out of those three, only Kaiba bothered him. Yugi and Yami were his friends ; they always helped him to improve his deck and gave him advice.

After a brief hesitation he added another wish to his list :

_I will beat Kaiba in a duel._

There, that was better. Now, maybe he should add something about school too, just in case Mrs Nigai was going to check on their lists after all. You never knew ...

_I will do all of my homework in time. _

_I will get As and Bs for my tests._

_I will not oversleep on schooldays._

Joey hummed softly as more ideas popped up in his head, hardly hearing the smothered laughter coming from Bakura, or noticing the bright red color on Ryou's cheeks. 

_//I love you more with every breath _

_Truly madly deeply do..//_

Seto glared at the computer in front of him, which was of a highly inferior quality. This had to be the most idiotic task they had been ordered to do in computer-class thus far. Nothing but a waste of valuable time that he could have used for much better purposes.

Practicing their typing skills ... what a joke! Did she think he brought his laptop to school every day for show? The likes of Yami and Joey might require such things, but not him. 

He sighed, glancing at the teacher who kept an eye on the class, instead of reading her cheap romance-novel like she usually did. Meaning he couldn't take out his laptop and do something useful instead. Ah well, maybe he could just give it a try then.

It might be useful to make some sort of list with what he still had to do before he could allow himself to spend some more time with Mokuba and enjoy himself, rather than working on the future he wanted to give to his little brother.

_I will make sure Kaiba Corp remains the market-leader in virtual technology._

_I will find the perfect Christmas-Gift for Mokuba, even if it's something silly or something made by a competing company._

_I will try to do more in less time so that Mokuba won't feel obliged to stay up late waiting for me._

_//I will be strong _

_I will be faithful _

_'cause I'm counting on//_

_I will stop taking offense to Kaiba's stupid nicknames for me._

_Even if he's a total jerk and a bastard and I hate him._

_I will not react to his remarks about my intelligence or lack thereof._

_Because he's not that smart himself, really. And he's asocial._

_I will not become mad at him if he beats me in a duel again._

_The only reason he wins all the time is 'cause he's got better, more expensive cards. And Yami and Yugi could kick his ass any time._

Joey's fingers halted for a moment, as he checked what he got thus far. He was a little surprised how often Kaiba's name seemed to pop up in his good resolutions. Well, it did make some sort of sense, now that he came to think of it.

Kaiba himself seemed to pop up a lot in his life too, in spite of the man's usual lack of interest in anyone except Mokuba. Whenever he turned around, Kaiba was there with a sneer on his face and a taunt on his lips. Almost as if Kaiba was stalking him ... Joey guffawed at *that* thought.

_I will stop obsessing over Kaiba._

_Paranoia are *his* cup of tea, not mine._

_//A new beginning.//_

_I will stop obsessing over Joey Wheeler._

_He doesn't like me, I don't like him, so it's pointless. I don't do pointless things._

Seto scowled. He had intended this list to be of some sort of use to him, but so far, all he had typed up was totally useless. Nothing he hadn't told himself over a thousand times already.

Drumming his fingers on his desk, he scowled at the screen. It was all that stupid mutt's fault, distracting him all the time by goofing around or talking so loud it was impossible to ignore him.

The blond enjoyed being annoying, Seto suspected. More precisely, the blond enjoyed annoying *him*. Why, Seto had no idea. But it simply was impossible Joey wasn't aware of the influence of his actions on the CEO. Joey might be pretty oblivious to what was going on around him, yet even *he* wasn't that dumb.

_I will stop accepting his challenges for a duel._

_He'll never be good enough to beat me. He's pathetic._

_//A reason for living.//_

_I will stop challenging Kaiba to duels._

_My cards aren't good enough to stand up to his._

Joey nodded in satisfaction, even if he did feel a little guilty about blaming his trusted deck for his defeats. Yugi would scoff at him for his lack of respect. Still, it *was* true he didn't have anything that could compete with three Blue Eyes White Dragons.

A good trap card could deal with any kind of Monster, of course, but Kaiba had cards against that too. Joey sighed glumly. All right, so maybe Kaiba was better at strategy. Just a bit. Just enough to tip the scales in combination with his cards.

Now, enough words wasted on Kaiba.

_I will try seeing Shizuka and Mom more often._

_I will try to keep Dad away from alcohol._

_I will try convincing Honda to confess to Otogi._

_I will try not to stare at Yami and Yugi when they make out in the middle of class._

_I will try not to blush at Bakura's propositions to Ryou._

_I will not fantasize about what it would feel like to be kissed by Kaiba._

Joey moaned, burying his face in his hands. Damn that stupid Kaiba for affecting him like this!

_//A deeper meaning.//_

_I will not use words like 'cute' or 'sexy' in association with Joey._

Seto blinked. Where the heck had *that* come from? Never mind, he would just erase it and go on. In fact, perhaps it would be better if he simply deleted this whole list. Passwords weren't *that* secure after all, especially not in a nearly-ancient system like the one they used at school.

The sound of the bell ringing alerted him torture for today was over. Taking a last look at the last line he had typed up, he quickly closed the document. He could always remove it later. 

~tbc~

A/N : Hmmm, reading back this fic reminds me a bit of 'Dear Diary'. Sorry if it bothers anyone else. ^^;


	2. Second

Truly, madly, deeply

**

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, Mokuba, songfic, focus/scene change after songfragment, hints at Yami/Yugi and Bakura/Ryou.

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. The song 'Truly, madly, deeply' belongs to Savage Garden.

written at 4th november 2003, by Misura

A big 'thank you!' to Double Double, Leaf Zelindor, Somnia Lustre, Santurion1, skyescraper2002, shadow-demon18b, Star Light Shadow, The Hitori, EternalDarkFlame, Starkiss Motou and Hidden for reviewing and encouraging me to write more. I hope you'll all also enjoy this second chapter!

Thanks also :

To DarkShadowFlame : Thank you very much! I tried to make their lists individual, though they got somewhat alike at the end, with the 'silly cute' stuff. ^_^;

To lostlover1 : You really didn't guess? I mean, this is *me* writing. ^^; Glad to hear you liked it! : )

To hieiandkuramalover : Ah yes, the Nile isn't just a river in Egypt, is it? ~.^ Glad you like your request-fic! ^_^

To Cold Hearted IceQueen : Sorry, I'm not in a mood to have teachers play matchmaker. I prefer someone else to do that. ^_^; (hint : starts with a 'M')

To ReMeDy10 : Would Seto do that? …. Well, actually he might. Darn. There goes my plot! Uhm, thank you anyway! ^_^

To Angel Reaper : Well … my favorite Savage Garden songs are actually 'Tears of Pearl' and 'To the moon and back'. But I got the request for this one, so … I do like this song a lot too though. ^^; Thank you!

To Kaira-chan : Yup, you know me just too well. ~.^ Besides, I love having Mokuba around in my fics. Thank you! ^_^

To Sailor Starlight Girl : Yes, yes. And a third one, if all goes well. And a fourth. ^^; I'll try to update weekly though, so the wait shouldn't be too long. Thank you! : )

To Hush Puppie : You spoke the magical word in chibinese so … Thank you very much! ^_^

To Anime-Ali : I'll try for weekly updates and four chapters. Emphasis on 'try'. ^^; Thank you! : )

To Lethe Seraph : Glad to hear the shifts weren't too unsettling or anything. Thank you very much! ^_^

To Kiawna : Hmmm. I actually have 'Misty blue' by her in my 'lyrics for Seto/Joey-fics'-folder. But I'll see what I can do. No promises yet, sorry. Thank you very much! ^_^

To hAdOw Cat : They are, aren't they? ^^; But I do think they're cute that way. Thank you! : )

To Icy Flame : *beams* Thank you very much! ^_^

To Labannya : *blushes* Thank you! I do try to finish most of the stories I post. ^_^; (Emphasis on 'post' there)

To A. Hailan : Ah, but it does say '~tbc~' at the end, doesn't it? The aim is four chapters currently. Hmmm, why didn't *I* think of *Seto* hacking Joey's wishlist? It sounds so logical, yet I picked someone else … Thank you very much! ^_^

To Sapphire Rains : Sorry, it's already for someone else. ~.^ Thank you! : )

To hsg9 : -_- Maybe I need, oh, I don't know, *time* to write (and edit)? I'm not a genius, you know. I can't whip up a new chapter *that* soon. One week is about the fastest I can do, if I'm lucky and inspired, sorry.

To Romennar : You're not the only one who thought that … hehehe. ~.^ Thank you! : )

To Amarin Rose : Uhm … that's a good question. I think I'll do what my Yami-muse does when my Yugi-muse wants more sugar. ~.^ Thank you very much! : )

*

For hieiandkuramalover, this song, this pairing ... my plot. Hope you'll like it! :)

**********

_//I want to stand with you on a mountain._

_I want to bathe with you in the sea.//_

Glad to be finally back in his office, Seto focused on the data about Kaiba Corp's latest project. Or rather, he *tried* to concentrate on the letters and numbers that appeared on the screen in front of him as his fingers danced over the keyboard.

Somehow, his thoughts kept wandering back to that afternoon's computer class. What on earth had possessed him to entrust information like that to a computer? What if someone hacked into the files and read it? He'd never live down the humiliation.

Especially since it wasn't true. Of course Seto didn't have some sort of crush on a worthless excuse for a duelist like Joey Wheeler! Not to say he'd like Joey if the blond would have been a duelist of Yami's quality. Or that Seto liked Yami for being a good duelist.

Seto grimaced. Perhaps Mokuba was right in claiming staying up too long was having a bad effect on his thinking. Maybe he should just call it a day and go home, surprise Mokuba by bringing dinner ...

After saving some of the most crucial data on a disk, Seto shut down his computer and went home, ignoring the stunned look his secretary sent his way as he announced he was leaving.

_//I want to lay like this forever._

_Until the sky falls down on me...//_

Joey stared at the ceiling of his room. Yugi had invited him to come over to the Gameshop but he hadn't felt like hanging out with his friends. Which wasn't like him at all.

Odd how seeing a thing black on white made it much more real, much more scary all of a sudden. After all, it was hardly a secret he was kind of obsessed with Kaiba. Only most people assumed that he hated the other, not that he ...

"Man, I really *am* messed up."

He couldn't actually have a crush on someone who treated him like dirt all the time, could he? Even if Kaiba spoke more to him in one day than to the rest of the school in a week, that didn't mean he had any good reason to assume Kaiba wasn't every bit the insensitive lump of ice he seemed to be.

Except for that strange feeling he got whenever Kaiba was around, before the CEO's taunting remarks got the better of him and he could only feel angry. Which might be nothing but an illusion, a product of his wishful thinking, a dream ...

_//And when the stars _

_Are shining brightly in the velvet sky,//_

Mokuba grinned as his fingers quickly punched in Seto's password. He also knew Joey's ('puppydog', which Seto would probably find a very amusing choice), but he'd rather see Seto's file first, if only because the punishment for getting caught browsing through Seto's private documents would be much more severe. He preferred to do the riskiest job first.

He was flattered to see his own name popping up quite some times on Seto's list of things he wanted to do too, in such positive, promising lines as '_I will not get scared when Mokuba is running through the house on a sugar-high_', '_I will allow Mokuba to celebrate his birthday-party wherever he wants_' and, best of all '_I will not hide the cookiejar on a high shelf where Mokuba can't reach it again_'.

"Awww, big brother. You really are the coolest." He'd almost start to feel guilty about shamelessly reading this somewhat personal information. Seto always *asked* before he read anything of Mokuba's making. "But still, it's for your own good I'm doing this."

Quickly scanning the resolutions with Joey's name in them, he discovered that the lower on the list they were, the less offending they were about the blond. In the first ones he was referred to as 'that stupid mutt', while halfway the 'stupid' was dropped and at the end the 'mutt' had been replaced by the more lovingly term of 'puppy'.

After making a copy for possible future use, just in case Seto would decide to go back into denial and delete the original, Mokuba closed the dangerous file and opened Joey's. He whistled appreciatively at the amount of 'Kaiba's in *that* list and eagerly started reading.

_//I'll make a wish _

_Send it to heaven then make you want to cry.//_

Since somehow sleep wouldn't come, in spite of his tiredness, Seto decided he might as well go downstairs to make himself some hot milk. He had read that was supposed to work soothing, especially with honey added in. The combination didn't sound particularly tasty, yet if it helped, he couldn't care less. It wouldn't be the first time he'd swallow something unpleasant for a greater good.

He was surprised to see the lights in the kitchen were still on and even more so to find Mokuba sitting at the kitchen-table with a laptop in front of him, the cookie-jar and a glass of chocolate-milk within easy reach. Clearing his throat made Mokuba look up. "You're supposed to be in bed by now."

"So are you, big brother." Mokuba quipped defiantly. In spite of his words though, he quickly shut the laptop with a slightly guilty blush on his face. Seto smiled indulgently. It was just like Mokuba to lose track of time because of some new game he had discovered.

"I'm going to heat some milk. Want some too?" Mokuba made a face and shook his head.

"No thanks, Seto." Mokuba yawned, blushing. "I don't think I need any help to be able to fall asleep. You wouldn't either, if you stopped worrying so much."

Seto smiled. "I'll try to, I promise." It had been on his list after all. "Now, off to bed with you, before you drop down right here. Shall I come and tug you in?" Mokuba was holding the laptop very protectively, Seto noted. Perhaps he intended to continue his game in his own room. Seto'd probably better make sure Mokuba was really going to *sleep* in his bed.

_//The tears of joy _

_For all the pleasure and the certainty.//_

Joey's eyes shot open, blindly staring at the switch of the small lamp that was standing on his nightstand for a moment, before he woke up enough to put it on. He was still breathing heavily. The cold air touching his heated body made him shiver and hastily reach for the blankets he had kicked off of him in the grip of his dream.

Huddling miserably on the middle of his bed, Joey wished his memory didn't insist on providing him with all the details of what had gotten his heart to beat this fast. Or, perhaps, with a small part of his mind he wished it hadn't been just an illusion, a fantasy.

If only it could have been real ... Joey moaned, cursing his over-active imagination. It was stupid to think even for a moment that Kaiba would ever ...

"I hate him." Joey whispered to himself. Too bad he didn't sound very convincing. He wondered how that could be, how he could make everyone believe he'd like nothing better than to never see Kaiba's face again while the opposite was the case, but not himself.

Slipping out from under the warm blankets, Joey silently walked to the bathroom for a glass of water. He hoped it would calm him down enough to spare him any more dreams tonight. One had been more than enough.

_//That we're surrounded by _

_The comfort and protection of..//_

"I'm not a baby anymore you know." Mokuba mumbled, too sleepy to keep his eyes open, yet not too tired to forget about keeping the laptop away from his big brother.

"Yes, but you'll always be *my* little brother." Seto smiled, picking up Mokuba's Blue Eyes-plushie up from its place on a shelf to deliver it into Mokuba's outstretched hands. Somehow, his fiercest monster made quite a cute, huggable toy.

"Hmmm, love you too, big brother." Mokuba hid his grin as he privately added 'And I'm not the only one'. His research had undubiously proved two simple, fundamental truths :

1) Seto Kaiba, his big brother, was head over heels in love with Joey Wheeler, more commonly known as 'that stupid puppy'

2) Joey Wheeler, one of Yugi's best friends, was utterly, hopelessly in love with Seto, also known by the designation of 'that rich, cold-hearted bastard' 

Somehow, he would have to find a way to melt those two facts into one accepted reality :

3) Seto and Joey are in love with each other.

Knowing his brother and the blond, that wasn't going to be an easy task. Ah well, Mokuba loved a challenge every now and then. His homework for school was boring anyway. Playing match-maker would be much more interesting.

_//The highest power.//_

Had Seto seen the expression on Mokuba's face as he softly left the room, he probably would have been quite scared. Unfortunately for Seto, he didn't. Possibly, that was because in his imagination, he could hear an echo of Mokuba's words coming from the lips of a certain annoying yet endearing mutt.

_"I love you, Seto."_

~tbc~


	3. Third

Truly, madly, deeply

***

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, Mokuba, songfic, focus/scene change after songfragment, hints at Yami/Yugi and Bakura/Ryou.

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. The song 'Truly, madly, deeply' belongs to Savage Garden.

written at 7th november 2003, by Misura

Thanks to the people who reviewed the second chapter :

To Ril : I will, I will. Thanks for the encouragement!

To Macduff's Mistress : Thank you! : )

To YumeTakato : Soon? Well erh … I did my best. Thank you! : )

To Megagirl14045 (and Elgna and Nomed) : Nothing wrong with being on a sugar-high, is there? ~.^ Thank you!

To Tod : I did. And I will once more, before this fic is over. : ) Thank you!

To EternalDarkFlame : ^_^ Glad to hear you like 'my' Mokuba. Thank you! ^_^

To Kaira-chan : …. I'm so predictable, am I not? ^^; But glad to hear you liked it/them! ^_^ Thank you very much!

To lostlover1 : Awww, but he's so good at it! And I really can't think of any way to make Seto and Joey play 'Truth or dare' together. And I'm too lazy to change my plot. ^^; Sorry to hear you feel discontent with the story. ;_;

To AlbinoLynxie : Thank you! I intend to write lots more on these two, so I hope you'll like this chapter as well. : )

To DarkShadowFlame : Thank you very much! ^_^

Mokuba : Awww, I like that comparison! ^_^

Seto & Joey : Especially the 'it gets everywhere'-part is very true. -_-;

To Kiawna : Actually, they seem to do a great job at denying it. ^^; Lucky for them Mokuba's around! Thank you! ^_^

To Hush Puppie : ^_^; Thank you very much! But remember that secret weapons work best when employed sparingly! ~.^

To Star Light Shadow : Sorry, I'm saving up dreams for 'Sweet dreams are made of … Pocky!'. Nonetheless, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too. Thank you! : )

To shadow-demon18b : Soon? Erh, well, I did my best. Thank you! : )

To Angel Reaper : Mokuba can do anything! (Uhm, sorry. My inner Rabid!Fangirl speaking.) Thank you! :)

To lalala [etc] (sorry for shortcutting your name ^^;) : Devious … is a very good word for him. Thank you!

To hAdOwCat : You'll see his scheme this chapter. Though if it'll get him in trouble … who knows? Seto might be too busy with other things … Thank you! : )

To Amarin Rose : *ponders* It is not the outside but the inside that counts? ^^; And Mokuba has one very easy way to meddle in Joey's life actually. At least in this fic. Thank you very much (also for sparing your Mokuba-muse)! ^_^

To Labannya : Mokuba never fails, at least not in *my* universe. He leaves that to his big brother. ^^; Thank you very much! 

Mokuba *looks up innocent* : Me? Evil? Wherever did you get *that* idea? ^_^

To Sailor Starlight Girl : I fully intend to finish this story (and make them kiss before the end), rest assured. ^_^; Thank you very much! :)

To Romennar : Thanks, I will.

To Esopha : Uhm, could you be more specific concerning Joey? I'd like to improve but … Thank you very much! ^_^

Joey : You mean Kaiba isn't 'sadistic, evil'? -_- He could have fooled me.

Seto : Oh yes, the joy of having a little brother who's growing up. Yippee. -_-;

To Nekocin : Thank you very much! Glad to hear you enjoyed the read thus far. ^_^

To Lethe Seraph : *blushes and beams* Thank you very much! ^_^ I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.

To JoeyWheelerKaiba : Please don't yell at me. Thanks for the encouragement. : )

To Starkiss Motou : Thank you! ^_^

Seto : How dare you say I'm a nerd! Wait till I tell my little brother! ;_;

Mokuba & Joey : o.O;;;

For hieiandkuramalover, this song, this pairing ... my plot. Hope you'll like it! :)

**********

_//In lonely hours.//_

Joey's wish was not granted. He barely got any sleep at all that night, haunted by images of Kaiba smirking at him, Kaiba sneering at him ... Kaiba trying to kiss him.

He made four more trips to the bathroom. Two to get a glass of water, and two to get a cold shower. That last probably didn't do much to help him fall asleep, as his tired body insisted he did, but it did help him with another problem caused by the dreams. At least for a while.

Eventually, he did manage to shut his eyes without being assaulted by fantasies about Kaiba. Of course, that was exactly at the same moment that his alarm-clock felt obliged to inform him that it was time to rise and get ready for another school-day.

Reaching the conclusion that Fate hated him, Joey packed his books and left, praying he wasn't going to blush at the sight of Kaiba. Ah well, the CEO would probably insult him as soon as he spotted Joey. That ought to crush any remaining feelings that might have lingered after the dreams.

_//The tears devour you.//_

Seto hummed softly as he surveyed the work he had done the day before. His new program was shaping up nicely, with just a few more details that needed to be taken care of. Checking the clock, he noted it was nearly time to wake up Mokuba and make breakfast.

Unlike what certain people thought, the Kaiba-mansion was not swarming with servants to take care of everything. There were cleaners, yes, but that was all. Everything else was done by the brothers themselves.

"Good morning, big brother!" Mokuba quipped, strolling in fully dressed and looking as if he had been awake for a good few hours. Seto blinked. Mokuba wasn't lazy or something, but his little brother did tend to appreciate his rest. And considering it hadn't been too early last night ...

"Good morning, Mokuba. You're up early. I was just about to start on our breakfast." Seto allowed himself to answer Mokuba's wide smile with one of his own, before saving his work and shutting down his computer. Then he noticed the laptop in Mokuba's hands.

"This new game has got you pretty hooked, doesn't it?" Seto asked, raising one eyebrow.

Mokuba grinned. "You have no idea, Seto. But don't worry, I'm still faithfully doing all my homework before playing it." Seto nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. He didn't want to pry anyway. 

_//I want to stand with you on a mountain,_

_I want to bathe with you in the sea.//_

Joey sighed. They were having computer-class again. Mrs Nigai had ordered them to finish yesterday's excercise, before starting to work on an assignment that would actually be graded. Since Joey really didn't feel like he would be able to keep his attention focused on anything long enough to do something useful, he had decided to 'finish' his list.

Suppressing a yawn as he scrolled down the list, Joey noticed with dismay the amount of times that Kaiba's name turned up in his resolutions. He had hoped that he'd be able to forget about the blue-eyed CEO for a while.

Kaiba appeared to be as intent on ignoring him this morning as Joey was on evading Kaiba. Which had seemed like a hopeful sign at first. It had puzzled him a little, but he figured he had earned a bit of good fortune after the fantasies.

On the other end of the room, Yami and Yugi were discussing what kind of database they were going to create. Surprising, considering their mutual interest in Duel Monsters. Joey had thought Yugi's proposal to create a card-database would meet with Yami's immediate approval, but the Spirit seemed to have set his heart on another subject.

Reaching the end of his list, Joey gasped. 

_I will not admit to being in love with Seto Kaiba._

He couldn't have typed that, could he? This had to be some sick joke. He'd *never* ...

_//I want to lay like this forever,_

_Until the sky falls down on me...//_

_I will not admit to being in love with Joey Wheeler._

Seto frowned. He didn't recall having entrusted anything like this to his ill-protected list. He had to admit that there were more points that had surprised him (no longer placing the cookie-jar out of Mokuba's reach? What had he been *thinking*? Giving Mokuba sugar was *bad*! Especially for his own peace of mind!) but in general, he remembered having typed up most of them.

Except for this one. It wasn't the last on his list either, which might have pointed in the direction of someone having added it to his list, after having hacked into the school-system. It was somewhere in the middle, right in between _'I will take a nap after every fourteen hours of work'_ and _'I will try to have dinner with Mokuba at least once every three months'_.

Which meant there were only two possibilities. Either the hacker had been smart enough to smuggle this idiotic line somewhere in the middle, to make it look authentic (for reasons Seto could only guess at. Blackmail perhaps?). Or he had really confessed to having a crush on the mutt. Which he didn't have. Meaning that in the end there merely was one explanation.

Some twisted person had messed with his private files, probably to embarrass him in public by revealing them. But who? Who was skilled enough to hack into the school-system, yet at the same time stupid enough to think Seto wouldn't catch him (or her) at it?

_//Oh can't you see it baby?_

_You don't have to close your eyes//_

Kaiba was staring at him. Not glaring, just staring. As if he was waiting for Joey to make a move or some sort of sign. For a moment, Joey wondered if the world had gone crazy over last night. Kaiba was *never* looking at him without wearing a mild expression of disdain, at the very least.

And then something clicked in his mind. *Of course* Kaiba was studying him with an air of expectation! Who else but him would be able to change Joey's files? Who else but Kaiba would have the sadistic sense of humor required to pull of a 'joke' like that?

It was so logical that Joey could have hit himself for not having caught on sooner. Kaiba would probably enjoy to see him do anything like that though, so Joey controlled himself and tried to think of a suitable revenge, aside from jumping at Kaiba's throat and throttle the CEO for mocking him like this.

Reluctantly deciding that his brain-cells weren't up to any extensive plots presently, Joey limited his response to a grin and a wink in Kaiba's direction. That ought to show Kaiba that his silly attempt to get under Joey's skin had failed miserably. 

Kaiba's eyes widened incredulously at his reaction. Joey had to fight down an urge to laugh out loud at the expression on his face. Apparently Kaiba hadn't counted on the 'puppy' brushing off his little ploy as easily as that. Well, maybe he'd think twice now before trying anything again. Joey Wheeler was nobody's dog. Especially not Kaiba's. 

The idea that he was in love with a cold-hearted bastard who continuously insulted and taunted him was downright ridiculous. Those dreams were totally wrong and meaningless. If he hadn't known better, Joey might almost suspect Kaiba having caused those as well, by using some weird new invention of his. But no, that were mere paranoia. He ought to keep his mind on important matters. 

_//'cause it's standing right before you._

_All that you need will surely come...//_

The mutt had winked at him! Seto couldn't believe it at first, yet the fact that Joey was still grinning at him a few seconds later convinced him that he had not imagined the gesture.

Well, well ... it would seem that he had underestimated Joey's abilities at handling a computer. The school-system, ancient as it might be, was by no means so easy to crack as to be accessible for every aspiring pupil with his own pc at home. Otherwise, a lot of pupils would have sported As and Bs all of a sudden, instead of the Cs and Ds that currently made up their lists of grades.

He would never have guessed Joey to have the patience to acquire anything like hacking-skills. It made him wonder what other hidden talents the mutt might possess, what other secrets were hidden behind the mask of a hot-headed loudmouth. 

Was it possible that Joey had been fooling him all this time, posing as some dumb blonde while in fact being not so dumb at all? Had Joey been playing some sort of game with him, pretending to be a lot less smart than he was in actuality?

Still looking pensive, Seto quickly deleted the incriminating list. If the mutt wanted to play his rightful master for a fool, he was in for a nasty surprise. No one mocked Seto Kaiba and got away with it. Especially not some puppy.

~tbc~


	4. Fourth

Truly, madly, deeply

****

Warnings/notes : Seto/Joey, Mokuba, songfic, focus/scene change after songfragment, hints at Yami/Yugi and Bakura/Ryou.

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. The song 'Truly, madly, deeply' belongs to Savage Garden.

written at 12th november 2003, by Misura

A big 'thank you!!!' to the people who reviewed the third chapter! ^_^ I hope you'll all enjoy this one as well.

For hieiandkuramalover, this song, this pairing ... my plot. Hope you enjoyed it! :)

**********

_//I'll be your dream _

_I'll be your wish _

_I'll be your fantasy.//_

"Hey, Yugi, do you have any plans for this afternoon?" Joey grinned, patting on the pocket of his jacket. "I got some new cards and I was kind of hoping you and Yami could help me decide which ones would work best with my deck."

Yugi smiled, nodded. "Sure, Joey. We - "

"We already intended to work on our projects for school, unfortunately," Yami cut in smoothly. "Maybe some other time?" Yugi sent him a confused look.

/But Yami! That's not true! We would just spent a lazy afternoon doing nothing ... /

//Nothing? Is that what you call it?// Yami smirked. Yugi blushed.

/All I mean is that you can't blow off Joey just because of it. There's plenty of time in the weekend to ... /

//Trust me, Yugi. Joey is my friend as well ; I wouldn't refuse to help him only because I wanted to be alone with you. But there's someone else who wants Joey's company, and I think he deserves it.//

Yugi followed Yami's gaze to notice Kaiba standing there, leaning against the wall as if he had nothing better to do than hang around and glare at people. He stared at Yami, who nodded.

"Oh, yes, that's right. Sorry, Joey, I completely forgot." Yugi shrugged apologetically.

"Hey, no biggie. It's not as if there's some major tournament coming up tomorrow," Joey replied. "Maybe some time next week then. You guys just enjoy your weekend and your 'projects'." He winked.

_//I'll be your hope _

_I'll be your love _

_Be everything that you need.//_

Seto frowned. He was trying to look like he had every right and reason to be here, instead of hurrying to his office to work, like he usually did when school was over, but he felt as if everyone was looking at him, wondering what he was doing.

He was rather glad when his patience finally paid off, with Yugi and Yami walking away, leaving Joey on his own. Of course, Seto wasn't *scared* of either Yami or Yugi, but he preferred to talk to the mutt in private this time, without Yami challenging him to a duel for the slightest taunt.

Joey didn't seem too surprised at his approach. Good. Apparently the puppy was fool enough to think that just because he had managed to get the better of Seto one time, he would be able to do so again. A big mistake, which Seto would be more than happy to use against him.

Not that Seto needed any extra edge when dealing with the likes of Joey.

"A word with you, mutt." He saw Joey's eyes narrow at the last word and snorted silently. The mere use of his favorite nickname for Joey was enough to make the blonde lose his self-control. That Joey had been able to hack into his files had to have been nothing but dumb luck. And 'dumb luck' wasn't going to help Joey now.

_//I'll love you more with every breath _

_Truly madly deeply do.//_

Joey hadn't thought Kaiba would have the gall to talk to him after what had happened in computer-class today. Still, he supposed it was possible that Kaiba was simply too disappointed with the results of his little joke to leave him alone. 

Well, if Kaiba thought he could get a rise out of Joey, he was wrong. "What do you want, Kaiba? Haven't had enough for today?" He felt his cheeks flush with a mix of anger and embarrassment at the memory of seeing that stupid wish Kaiba had added to his list. _'I will not admit to being in love with Seto Kaiba'._ Gritting his teeth, Joey told himself he had to keep his temper in check.

Beating Kaiba to a bloody pulp was *not* going to be looked upon very kindly. Besides, he didn't *really* want to hurt Kaiba, did he? His dreams definitely didn't seem to point in that direction.

"That little stunt in computer-class was rather tasteless," Kaiba observed, out of the blue. Joey's mind needed a few seconds to catch up with the somewhat abrupt change in subject, before cautiously suggesting that this might be intended as ... an apology?

Joey frowned. When had Kaiba ever apologized to him before? Why did he do so now? There *had* to be another meaning to his words, but Joey couldn't find it.

"Not to mention immature," Joey replied cautiously. "But it was kind of smart too. Different from usual?" He had no idea what he ought to be saying. Acting like he fully agreed with Kaiba's joke being 'tasteless' might be pushing it a little too far. If Kaiba had truly meant to say sorry, Joey ought to make some sort of effort to, to meet him halfway. Then, maybe, one day ...

_//I want to stand with you on a mountain,_

_I want to bathe with you in the sea.//_

Seto studied Joey's face, searching for any hint of sarcasm, any clue to the blonde pulling his leg. Surely Joey wasn't just going to let Seto degrade his first successful prank like this? Seto had expected Joey to immediately jump up and brag about how he had read Seto's wishlist, not nod his head when Seto declared his joke to be 'tasteless'!

"Definitely different. You managed to surprise me." Seto could afford to be a bit magnanimous. Plus, it was true. And maybe if he brought it up, Joey would let slip just *how* good he was with a computer. That knowledge might come in handy in the future.

Joey grinned. "Yeah, I bet I did. Not such a 'foolish puppy' as you thought me to be, am I?"

"You're still a puppy," Seto sneered. "Especially with the way you're wagging your tail right now. So very pleased with yourself. Don't forget your place, mutt. I'll always be your master in any way that counts."

Joey might have caught him unawares once, but Seto would make very sure that he would never succeed in doing so again. Even if the glow of success made the mutt look kind of cu- no, no, he had solemnly promised not to use that word to describe Joey. Just like he wouldn't admit to being in love with him. Which hadn't been one of his 'good intentions' (not 'wishes'!) in the first place, though he would hold to it just the same, because he *wasn't* in love with the mutt.

_//I want to lay like this forever,_

_Until the sky falls down on me.//_

"You're not my 'master'! And you're never going to be either!" Joey growled at Kaiba. He had really been trying his best to remain civil but ... Kaiba's arrogance was enough to drive *anyone* crazy. How *dared* he talk as if Joey was his pet!

"Puppy shouldn't bark so loud," Kaiba taunted. "I'm not impressed by it the least, but I *am* getting a bit annoyed with your attitude. And believe me, mutt, you do *not* want me to get mad at you."

"Oooh, now I'm scared. Get real, Kaiba!" Joey rolled his eyes. *Kaiba* lecturing *him* on attitude? If he hadn't been so angry at the guy, he'd have laughed aloud. "I don't care one bit about whether or not you like me." Man, that sounded ... weird. "I'm not in love with you!" That wasn't much better, really. "I mean ... " This was all Kaiba's fault! *He* had added that stupid line to Joey's list.

"I'm not in love with you either," Kaiba replied stiffly. The CEO seemed to have regained his self-control. A pity, considering Joey was still having trouble getting his head clear. "Mutt."

"Gee, imagine my relief," Joey muttered. "I was kind of afraid you were, you know, with all the doggy petnames. But no, of course someone like you would never like puppies." He sounded bitter. And a little whiney. He didn't want to sound bitter and a little whiney. 

Whining was something that puppies did.

_//I want to stand with you on a mountain....//_

"In general I don't like puppies, no," Seto replied coolly. He knew he was going to regret this. "With one exception. Because that one isn't just any puppy. That one is *mine*."

Joey's head snapped up, the blonde eyeing him warily. Seto didn't change the expression on his face. It was true that he wasn't in love with Joey. But he did feel *something* for Joey, something that made him want to protect and possess the other boy. Seto'd rather die than call that feeling 'love' though.

"I'm not your property. Or your pet. Or your toy," Joey summed up. Seto didn't have any idea why. He hadn't claimed Joey to be any of those things, had he?

"I didn't say you were. But you *are* my puppy, whether you like it or not." Seto wondered how this little chat had turned from a 'Your joke was stupid and it didn't influence me'-talk to a 'You're my puppy and I'm your master' one.

"What if I said I did like it?" Joey inquired. He was no longer looking at Seto, instead staring at the floor. Seto was slightly puzzled.

"Well, I guess I'd have to take some better care of you then I have done so far," he answered. "I might start by feeding you? Dinner?" Was he seriously asking the mutt for a *date*?

"I like pizza," Joey ventured, raising his head.

"More than me?" Seto informed with a slight grin.

"I don't know." Joey shrugged. "I haven't tasted both ... yet." His eyes seemed to challenge Seto to do something about that. Seto decided he must have gone insane. Did that mutt really expect him to ...

Joey kissed him. Not very long and not very romantic, considering he stepped on Seto's toes in his hurry to get close before Seto would have a chance to evade him, but still ...

"Bad puppy." Amazing how his voice still worked after they had broken apart again, with Joey muttering some sort of apology for crushing his toes.

Joey snorted. "You can buy me a Pizza Hawaii with extra pineapple for a punishment. That's my favorite."

Yes, Seto decided, Joey was most assuredly insane. But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. At least he didn't have to be afraid that Joey and Mokuba wouldn't get along now.

~OWARI~


End file.
